#invisibledisabilities

I specify both #ChronicIllness and #disability because the former is part of the latter, and many people think they shouldn’t ID as #disabled or have difficulty finding their place within the community. Recognizing that your ability level fluctuates does not shut you out. Most of ours do. While not all chronic illnesses are consistently disabling, if you have one, you have likely needed the protections afforded by the #ADA. Chronic illnesses are #InvisibleDisabilities. You belong.
#HospitalGlam
https://www.instagram.com/karolynprg/p/Bwhy688gnox/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=o29oo8505lsa

I had the incredible pleasure of getting to visit and chat with @toitroutman for a little while last week. This woman is a badass who’s been living with #lupus for decades, and told me a lot about her recent admits. Swapping stories about hospitalists and the confusion that comes with the gap between how we look and how our bodies behave felt like a deep exhale. Sometimes there’s nothing more healing than community. #HospitalGlam
[#imagedescription: a shot of Toi and I standing next to her hospital bed, taken by her son. Toi is in the foreground, showing me how to work some tech offscreen, and I’m standing behind her watching and smiling, because this is also part of illness]
#invisibleillness #chronicillness #invisibledisabilities #disabled #ehlersdanlos #tbt
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpSJrIZHlLU/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1tndg1tmfscj0

Like @annieelainey & @michelle_roger said, #AmbulatoryWheelchairUsersExist. My joints sublux dozens of times an hour, so I use a combination of braces, mobility aids, and when someone is available to help me out, I use a wheelchair. When traveling or going long distances I’m usually in one. It’s a necessary part of independence for someone whose mobility fluctuates. [This photo with @valeriebjarrett was taken during the tail end of the 2016 Women’s History Month event at the White House. It was an incredible day that I’m so fortunate to have experienced!]
#invisibledisabilities #ehlersdanlos #invisibleillness #tbt (at The Obama White House)

karolynprg:

#HospitalGlam: The tech and I spoke about procedural stress, and how seeing something from a different perspective, or acknowledging that trauma can be hard to see, can make diagnosis and treatment easier on both doctors and patients.

[#imagedescription: A straight on, waist-up photo of me, sweeping my hair back, in the glass booth seconds before #PulmonaryTesting began.]
#EhlersDanlosGrrrls #InvisibleIllness #Disability #lungs #chronicillness #invisibledisabilities